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Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Unfamiliar World (2)

Worse than a nightmare.

Being chased by a man as fast as a car.

And this wasn’t even a dream.

So, Myeongho kept alternating between the front windshield and the rearview mirror.

‘No way. A person faster than a car?’

Current speed, 83 kilometers per hour.

For Myeongho, this situation already exceeded the maximum speed he had ever experienced in his life.

Since he completed his driving test six years ago, this was the first time he had taken hold of the steering wheel.

“…Hyung!”

From the passenger seat, his younger brother Yoonho shouted with his eyes half-turned.

It meant, “Can’t you go faster?”

Vroom, vroom, screech!

In the meantime, the unidentified monster visible through the rearview mirror was getting closer.

“Damn it.”

In the end, Myeongho crossed his psychological limit.

He unconsciously applied more pressure to the accelerator pedal while adjusting the throttle on the fly.

Vroooom!

The unleashed engine roared, forcefully propelling the car forward.

The needle on the speedometer in the driver’s seat skipped several marks in an instant, and soon the vehicle reached a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

“Myeongho!”

A shout, as if coming from the back seat.

It was Myeongho and Yoonho’s mother, Myeongae.

And right on cue, something ominous flew threateningly from the rear of the vehicle.

Swiiish!

At the alarming sound, Myeongho turned his gaze to the driver’s side window, witnessing a black and giant blade shattering the side mirror as it passed by.

“This is insane…!”

Realizing that the length of the problematic blade was an astounding several meters and that it had just stuck into the road on the other side, Myeongho slammed on the brakes with all his might.

Screeeech!

The friction produced an ear-piercing noise as the vehicle slid for a long distance, coming to a stop just before making contact with the embedded blade on the ground.

“Huh, huh.”

Myeongho, gripping the steering wheel tightly, still couldn’t believe the size of the towering black sword.

Not long after, a man with a bizarre appearance appeared, pulling out the sword.

“W-what is that…? Is that some kind of mutant?”

Yoonho, on the passenger side, instinctively muttered while drawing the axe from his waist.

It wasn’t surprising, considering that no one in this place, including Yoonho, had ever seen a human with such an appearance.

Upper body tied with ropes, unidentified handles covered with a black cloak, golden gloves and bracelets that sparkled unnaturally in the sunlight, a blue-green snake wrapped around the left arm, and for some reason, the menacing bare feet…

Because of the unfamiliar and chaotic appearance, the three people in the SUV couldn’t realize until the end that a noose was hanging around the neck of their opponent.

On the other hand, Yeongwoo, who clearly looked like a ‘monster.’

‘What is this? Surprisingly more peaceful than I thought.’

Feeling puzzled by the fact that the occupants of the SUV were just sitting quietly in their seats and staring at them.

As far as Yeongwoo knew, there were only two types of people who could drive a car in this situation.

Indulging in luxury, a remarkable and influential person, or someone under the protection of that influential person.

Therefore, even though the car came to a stop, the fact that there was no preemptive attack from the other side was unusual for him.

Shi-ling.

Yeongwoo cautiously approached the driver’s side after adjusting the length of the black sword as it originally was.

Then.

Thunk.

The driver’s seat door opened, and Myeongho walked out with both hands raised.

“Wait, just a moment! Surrender, surrender!”

Although Myeongho was unarmed, Yeongwoo couldn’t feel at ease.

There were still two silhouettes inside the car.

“…Over there.”

Pointing inside the vehicle, Yeongwoo, Myeongho flinched and spoke in a very polite tone.

“Ah… it’s my mother and my younger brother. I’ll ask them to come out slowly.”

Myeongho gestured inside the wide-open driver’s seat, and the front passenger seat and rear seat doors opened in turn, revealing two more people.

Seeing this, Yeongwoo had no choice but to acknowledge that they were indeed a real family.

“….”

The three people’s faces were strangely alike.

The two stiff-looking men seemed to be around Yeongwoo’s age, and the woman who came out of the back seat appeared to be in her forties.

A warm and kind-hearted woman, Myeongho’s mother.

“W-what’s going on?”

When the woman finally asked, Yeongwoo realized that he had no particular reason for stopping the car.

He had thought that the person in the car would be the first to attack.

But the actual opponent they faced…

“….”

Yeongwoo alternated his gaze between the middle-aged woman and her two sons, muttering a line that he never imagined would come out of his mouth.

“I apologize if I surprised you. I’m just…”

He tried to continue his words, but it wasn’t easy.

There was no special reason for stopping the car in the first place.

On top of that, the opponent looked decent, making the situation even more awkward.

“….”

Seeing Yeongwoo struggling to speak, the woman who had been observing him cautiously asked.

“Are your legs okay?”

“…Yes?”

Yeongwoo received the question and realized that both of his legs were trembling.

Chasing the vehicle for a considerable time had exhausted the strength in his lower body.

It was also an indication that his capabilities were not sufficient to overtake a speeding car.

‘I wasted energy on something unnecessary. There’s still a long way to the next city.’

With a perplexed expression, Yeongwoo glanced at the road extending northward.

Then, the woman spoke again.

“It seems there was a misunderstanding. My kids wouldn’t do anything bad.”

With these words, the woman’s eyes shone rather sharply.

It seemed like she hoped Yeongwoo wouldn’t cause trouble for them.

“…Ah. Yes, I must have misunderstood.”

Click.

As Yeongwoo put the black sword back into its sheath with a troubled expression, the woman finally let out a long breath of relief.

In truth, she had been in a very tense state as well.

After all, considering the current situation and the fact that the opponent was undoubtedly a skilled individual who could easily take down her two sons, it was only natural to be cautious.

“Ah… Thank goodness. It was a misunderstanding.”

Suddenly, the eldest, Myeongho, approached the driver’s side door with a very cautious gesture.

This was an act requesting approval from the monster in front of him.

It meant that they could now leave this place.

“Oh.”

In response, Yeongwoo, realizing he was still standing in the middle of the road, took hesitant steps sideways.

Then, Yoonho, who had seemed ready to draw his axe at any moment, opened the back seat door boldly.

“Mom, please get in quickly. The road is long.”

It meant, “Let’s escape before that crazy guy changes his mind.”

However, the middle-aged woman, instead of getting into the sedan right away, just stared intently at Yeongwoo.

After a while, she made a statement that left everyone gaping.

“Um… If your destination is the same, would you like a ride?”

“Mom…!”

Yoonho expressed his disagreement with fiery eyes, and Myeongho gently shook his head, trying to dissuade his mother.

Yeongwoo, too, couldn’t accept the proposal from the woman.

No matter how uncomfortable Yeongwoo’s legs seemed, it didn’t change the fact that this side was a dangerous individual and an outsider to their territory.

‘If it were me, I would have quietly driven away.’

While Yeongwoo wore a puzzled expression, the woman, looking at her two sons, spoke to Yeongwoo again.

“Is there harm in helping each other? You mentioned that what happened earlier was a misunderstanding. And who knows what we might encounter next…”

It was a hint that having this monster join them would be a significant help in terms of firepower.

Then Yoonho got angry and tried to say something, but then he shut his mouth.

Although he had planned to say that he and his brother alone were sufficient, it seemed that it wasn’t enough, proven by this monster.

Even someone known for being a troublemaker who frequently got in fights knew how to distinguish a formidable opponent.

And the monster in front of them was such an opponent.

Seeing Yoonho’s defeated expression, the woman turned to Yeongwoo again.

“Is it okay if we go together? We’re heading to Chungju. We can drop you off if you want.”

“….”

It was overly kind, but, in any case, it was a proposal that wouldn’t harm Yeongwoo.

‘It might be okay to travel comfortably for a day.’

If he followed this road straight up, he would reach Mungyeong, and if he continued through the city, he would reach Chungju.

Since Yeongwoo had planned to visit both Mungyeong and Chungju, there was no issue with the route.

So, in the end, he nodded his head.

“Okay. I also have some business in Mungyeong and Chungju… Let’s go together for now.”

With the mention of having business in Chungju, the two brothers flinched, but they didn’t oppose further.

As the opponent also expressed the intention to ride together, there was no choice but to accept, knowing that opposing it would be futile.

‘If there’s business in Mungyeong too… I’ll figure out a solution when the time comes.’

Myeongho, thinking about alternatives while opening the driver’s seat door.

Yoonho, still glaring at the unwelcome guest with a discontented face.

And Myeongae, suggesting Yeongwoo to take the back seat with a bright smile.

That’s how the uncomfortable ride-sharing began.

* * *

Vroom…!

As the SUV once again began to run with the engine sound, Myeongae initiated introductions.

“I’m Jeong Myeongae. Those are my kids. Jeong Myeongho and Jeong Yoonho.”

Perhaps thinking that her sons wouldn’t act too friendly with the stranger, Myeongae introduced them instead.

Then, as if it were the fourth turn, she looked at Yeongwoo directly.

“Ah… Yes. I’m Jeong Yeongwoo.”

Jeong Yeongwoo.

As soon as she heard his name, Myeongae exaggeratedly widened her eyes.

“Oh, it’s the same Jeong family! Fate must be fate.”

There were some looks of disapproval from Yoonho in the passenger seat, but Yeongwoo couldn’t see it.

This was because Myeongae immediately threw a question at him.

“Can you tell me which Jeong family you’re from? Maybe we’re even from the same main family.”

Seemingly trying to find any connection to intertwine in a friendly manner.

But her plan didn’t unfold as smoothly as she thought.

“Well, I’m not sure. The name was given to me at the orphanage, so it might not be a real Jeong family name.”

“Ah… I see.”

Myeongae, who had been speaking without hesitation, couldn’t continue with anything more this time.

So, this time, Yeongwoo brought up a new topic.

“But why are you going to Chungju?”

“Oh, that… Well…”

For some reason, Myeongae hesitated to speak.

The front-seat passengers, Myeongho and Yoonho, also coughed awkwardly, showing discomfort.

“Uh, my kids’ father is there.”

“Your husband? It seems like he’s out for work.”

“Well, it’s something like that. His company is located in that area.”

With Myeongae’s last words, Yeongwoo realized that her husband wasn’t simply away for work.

‘There must be something going on, or maybe they’re already divorced.’

If that were the case, it would explain why she suddenly became reserved.

Words like divorce and orphanage had a quite close connection, after all.

“By the way.”

Myeongae, trying to dispel the strange atmosphere, made an effort to change the topic.

“You also mentioned having business in Mungyeong and Chungju, right? Do you know someone there or something like that?”

“Well, about that.”

As Yeongwoo was about to dodge the question, a new message appeared in everyone’s sight.

Pat!

|The current area you are in is ‘Mungyeong.’

|The highest-ranked ‘Jang Chunyong16’ in this area. 1st place, Defense 96 times.

“Oh, we’re already in Mungyeong.”

Myeongho muttered while scanning through the windshield, gripping the steering wheel.

And Yeongwoo told Myeongae with the name Jang Chunyong in mind.

“Yes. I have someone to meet here.”